walking in a winter wonderland

Is there anything more cozy than the first snowfall on a Saturday in early December, when you don't have to be anywhere, with the house sparkly and decorated, the pantry full of goodies and giant mugs of hot chocolate?

believing

I remember when I was little, we spent every Christmas in Ohio at my Grandparents. We made the nine hour trek every year as soon as school let out, the trunk of the Impala stuffed with gifts and cookies, my brother and I annoying each other by crossing over the imaginary line in the backseat.

Such joyous, magical memories of cozy evenings at the White Gift Service at the Presbyterian Church on Christmas Eve decked out in our festive fancy shiny clothes, hearing my Grandma sing in the choir, then back to their house for food and friends, and the occasional fart joke that I wasn't supposed to hear. Waking up on Christmas morning way too early, and convincing my younger brother to go wake everyone up (he was younger and therefore wouldn't get in trouble like I would've). Sneaking out to the pitch dark living room to take inventory of everyone's stocking contents and memorizing who each gift was for under the tree.

But mostly, I remember feeling confused. My Grandparents didn't have a fireplace and without a fireplace, how in the ho-ho-ho was Santa going to deliver our presents? No chimney to shimmy down, and there were usually so many gifts we had to move my Grandpa's brown recliner in front of the front door to make extra room. How would Santa get in? It was enough to keep me awake at night for weeks in angst.

There was a large air vent near the ceiling at the front of the hallway, and my parents convinced me that Santa's big butt could fit through that thing, after he used his power tools to unscrew the screws and pop off the cover. I remember being skeptical but alas, every Christmas morning there was a bountiful, shimmering pile of loot under the tree, many of them from Santa himself, and I figured he must have just wedged himself just right through that air vent and plopped right down in the hallway right outside of my bedroom door.

It didn't hurt that one year, when I was being particularly rebellious about going to bed my Dad staged a phone call to me from Santa. The phone rang around 10:30 pm and my Grandma told me it was for me, it was Santa! This was before cell phones existed and I remember wondering how Santa could possibly be calling from his sleigh? Or horrors, was he calling to tell me he was stuck at the North Pole sick and unable to come? I picked up the phone in a flash and Santa on the other end told me in no uncertain terms I better get my rear end in bed or he would be passing right by my Grandparents house and giving my presents to other less fortunate children. Speechless, I gulped and hightailed it down the hallway to bed faster than Clark Grizwald flew down the hill on his metal saucer sled coated with non-caloric silicone-based kitchen lubricant.

I don't remember when I found out that Santa wasn't real, or even how I found out. In all honesty, a part of me still believes. And I've been wondering, how much longer do we have for Dylan to believe? He's 6 1/2. Maybe a year or two? I wonder how he'll find out. I've been careful this year to hide the wrapping paper that I've used to wrap their gifts, so he can't figure out its the same kind Santa uses. I'm not even putting name tags on the gifts in case I can't disguise my handwriting well enough. And once Dylan finds out, can we keep him from spilling the beans to Logan?

I hope so. Because this time of year is truly magical and I think we all need some magic in our lives no matter how old we are.

the bribe

Our boys both have ziploc bags in their underwear drawers with some cash they've collected from birthday cards, chores, the Tooth Fairy (in Dylan's case), etc. (If you are a robber and reading this, I assure you there is not enough cash in there to buy anything but perhaps a small kitchen appliance or maybe these days, a Tiger Woods trading card.)

Last night, behavior before dinner was, well... it was just plain ridiculous. And as a result, we took Wii privileges away from the boys until this weekend.

Today while Dylan was at school, Logan continually asked to play Wii over and over again. And I continually responded with a "No, remember its been taken away because of last night..." And he'd just ask again 15 minutes later and I'd repeat myself.

Finally, after several hours of this, he asked again and I again responded no. He thought about this for a moment, then gave his sweetest smile and with a twinkle in his eye said "You can have my money Mom."

I still said no.

a few of my favorite things..

This weekend, I loaded up the Advent calendar drawers with abundant sweets. As a kid, is there anything more thrilling than the countdown to the glorious gifts of Christmas morning? To quote Ralphie, "We plunged into the cornucopia quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice."

This advent calendar is new to us, I usually just got the kids the cardboard ones from Wegman's with a little chocolate piece behind each door. This year, we're going full gangbusters with both versions.

Next up, one of my favorite Christmas tree ornaments - Stoned Santa. Just look at those eyes. He's been hitting the ganja, I know I saw a hookah in the sleigh and a bag of Funyuns. You could blind fold him with dental floss. Smoke it up, Santa, ho-ho-ho!

so long, november

Its come to this. Blogging about the weather. But seriously. Seriously? Rain again today. It feels like its rained the entire month of November. Maybe these things become more noticeable when you have two little boys, asking feverishly every single day to get on the backyard trampoline and/or ride their bikes and scooters. And almost everyday this month, or so it seems, I've had to say no and then divert them to the Wii Fit and Wii Resort for some energy burning family room action or take them to a local kids gym for some open playtime. Or horrors, get out the Playdough again.

So out of curiosity, I looked up the total rainfall for this month here, and was shocked to see we are BELOW average for November. Seriously. Just slightly below, but still. So why does it seem like its been raining for a month?

Adieu, November. December, may you be dry and cozy. Like a Snuggie, only not as ugly.

its beginning to look a lot like....

This year, we decided to kick start a little holiday spirit with a field trip over to Reston for their annual Christmas parade. We met a some friends there ... these ones, and these ones to name a few... It was a wee bit chilly and it started raining right before Santa's big appearance (an hour and half into the parade, my butt was completely numb from curb sitting by that point). But a great way to catapult into holiday mode nonetheless.

Later in the day, we went to the local Christmas tree farm, otherwise known as Home Depot, in search of the tree. See, I love Fraser Fir and they just don't grow at any of the low elevations in Virginia. I love the smell, and the needles are soft so you don't end up bloody while trimming the tree. So we have to buy a pre-cut tree at the Depot. One benefit of this is that we probably won't find any live creatures living inside of it.

And now I'm looking at this picture, thinking I need to ask Santa to bring me for some Windex for my mantel mirror.

Andrew spent a large part of his weekend on the roof tacking lights to the house, stringing garland and using a fishing pole to hang lights on our giant pine tree in the front yard. Its looking pretty festive around here, and its not even the first of December.

turkey for me and turkey for you

Well, another Turkey Day weekend has come and gone and no one overdosed on tryptophan. Although its safe to say we won't be eating a lot of poultry this week at our house.

As usual, my Mom and Robby outdid themselves with a cornucopia of deliciousness with the rest of us contributing a few sides and desserts. Here she is with her long time friend Betty in the kitchen...

Betty made a scrumptious green bean casserole - you know the one I'm talking about - and get a load of this gigantic sack-o-onions. I told Betty I was putting it on the blog, I just couldn't believe the hugeness.

Our plates runneth over with tasty kibbles.....

....and sweet morsels of goodness.

And the kids, when asked what they were thankful for this Thanksgiving, replied "our family and friends."

Amen to that.

thanksgiving cupcakes

So I'm no Martha Stewart cupcake master like my friend Jersey Baby, but I saw this idea and thought they'd make a fun kid-friendly dessert addition to the Thanksgiving feast we'll be attending at my Mom's tomorrow.

I cheated. I bought the Wilton football decors because A.) My kids don't like nuts of any sort (even chocolate covered one) as part of their desserts and B.) Well, it was just a whole lot easier than finding a chocolate covered anything shaped like a football. I also didn't write any numbers, there was simply no room. So mine just have yard lines. The pennants are made from little pretzel sticks and fruit roll ups, which Logan and Dylan were more than happy to help with since I never ever buy that junk and they got to eat the leftovers. But still, I think they came out cute and I'm sure after the kids eat all this sugar they'll be ready to do some tackling of their own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

one little Indian boy

I dropped Logan at preschool this morning with a fresh pumpkin pie he and Dylan helped me bake yesterday for his class Thanksgiving feast today.

But little did I know when I returned to pick him up, I'd be picking up Chief Little Feather.

And then I checked out his backpack, and saw the little tribe has been busy making a whole cornucopia of Thanksgiving crafts. Looks like they've been very busy these past couple of weeks!

This just totally cracks me up. He told me he's reading a "map" to show him "where to go in the water".

However, I like to envision this picture morphing into full animation, and he's doing a little Pilgrim breakdance job while rapping... "In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He had three ships and left from Spain, He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain. Yo. Peace out."

Cranberry Sausage Stuffing

My Mom found this recipe a few years ago and its been inducted into our family recipe box forever. There's just no other stuffing that even compares, and I don't even really like stuffing. You can stuff some of this into the turkey if you prefer but that kind of grosses me out. I prefer to make it all in a casserole dish. Lord knows it has enough butter in it already without adding all the turkey drippings.


Sausage Cranberry Stuffing
Serves 14

Ingredients

2 (1 pound) tubes of breakfast sausage like Jimmy Dean or Bob Evans
1 cup butter
6 celery stalks, finely diced
2 large onions, finely diced
2 (12 ounce) packages herb flavor stuffing mix
2 cups dried cranberries (Craisins)
2 teaspoons salt
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth

In large skillet, crumble and cook sausage until browned. Remove from pan. In same skillet melt butter over medium heat. Saute celery and onions until softened, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine celery, onions, sausage, stuffing mix, cranberries and salt. Add the broth and stir until well combined. If desired, loosely stuff some of the mixture into a turkey just before roasting. Place the rest of stuffing mix into a casserole dish. Cover and bake in a 325 F. oven for 1 hour or until hot.

Best Sweet Potato Casserole Ever

I'm taking a little break from posting about our everyday family trials and tribulations, and instead I thought I'd share some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes over the next few days. You know, since we are T Minus 5.5 days until Turkey Day. And also, I have a head cold and feel like my brain is numb from a zesty combination of snot and over the counter decongestant.

I don't promise any of these recipes are healthy, but they are all deeeeeelicious.

Best Sweet Potato Casserole Ever
Serves 12-14

6 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 butter (one stick), softened
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Put sweet potatoes in a large stockpot with water to cover. Boil for 20 minutes or until fork tender.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix (with electric beater) together the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Allow fibers to remain on beater and discard.
4. In medium bowl, mix the sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
5. Bake in the preheated oven 40 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Enjoy. Its like having dessert on the same plate as your turkey. I guarantee everyone will be fighting for the leftovers.

a day in the life of a 1st grader

This morning I had the opportunity for a rare glimpse into Dylan's 1st Grade classroom. Its American Education Week, and parents were invited to spend an hour in the class helping to run stations and then join their child in the cafeteria for lunch.

So interesting to see how their day runs and what they kids are expected to do. So many observations and a few surprises too.

First, wow are the kids expected to do a lot in a very short amount of time! Even with me helping Dylan cut out his turkey legs and pilgrims, we barely got his Thanksgiving placemat done before the bell rang and we have to move onto the next station. The next station was Jenga Math - what a great idea! I think I'll be writing his math facts up to 18 on our Jenga game pieces at home and letting him build a tower.

Second, I need to set up a desk for Dylan at home and teach him how to keep things organized because WOW, everything is just crammed inside his desk and good Lord how does he ever find anything?

Also, lots of the little boys were pretty loud and jumping all over the place and Dylan wasn't one of them. However, these same boys seemed to get their projects done much faster than Dylan, who takes his time and probably isn't assertive enough when it comes to asking for his turn. We're working with Dylan on focus and his ability to get his work done faster. This is an area that's been a struggle for a while now, and we're trying some things in the classroom and at home (visual timers, etc.) to motivate him to move along a little quicker. But to watch him among his peers and notice how courteous, patient and what a good listener he is warmed my heart.

And then there was lunch. Wow. The only word to describe it is chaos. In kindergarten last year, the kids only attended half day and ate a small snack with the teachers always nearby to assist them. What a big difference it is when they switch to first grade. The kids are lead from the classroom to the bathroom, where they are to wash hands en masse and then get back in line to go into the cafeteria. They then get in another line to buy their lunch, or they sit down to eat the lunch brought from home. Dylan and I got in line to buy lunch, and the choices were turkey, tacos, pizza, yogurt, bagels plus an assortment of sides - beans, apples, fruit cocktail, taco toppings. The line moves pretty fast so they have to make their choice quickly, punch in their student ID number so their lunch account is debited, carry their tray to the other side of the cafeteria to get napkins, fork, spoon and straw, and then find a seat. All of this is done without any teacher assistance. So its goes from almost complete hand holding in kindergarten, to full-on freedom in first grade. And they don't have very long to eat either. Lots has to happen in that 25 minutes. I think it usually goes pretty well and the kids are used to it by now, but it was so very interesting to watch all the action first-hand.

I'm sure things were extra crazy there today having all the parents there, but it was just nutty. And to make matters worse, the little boy on the other side of me was crying his eyes out because his mom didn't show up. And the little girl across from us came back from the bathroom soaking wet after a toilet accident, and was inconsolable too. Poor things. A few of us moms tried to include them and make them feel better, but I wondered what would have happened if we weren't there? There just wasn't much teacher supervision. I think the kids are supposed to raise their hands if they need help and an adult helper will come over to them. But the poor little wet girl had her hand raised forever and no one saw her until I realized she had her head down and was crying.

Dylan ate his whole lunch and part of mine, and made jokes with his friend sitting next to us. He had several boys ask him to sit next to them at lunch, and I hope its always that way.

So just a glimpse into his everyday school world. I remember when Dylan was a baby, thinking how strange it would be for him to one day have his own world that I wasn't a part of....his own friends....his own responsibilities...managing his own time and making choices.

And I know this is just the beginning of watching him explore and flourish, but I was very proud of what I saw today.

go Lightning!

The torrential five day downpours last week resulted in Dylan's soccer tournament being cancelled this past weekend. I honestly can't say I cried any tears over that one. They were scheduled to play three games spread out over an entire day and I just don't know how we would have kept Logan occupied and happy all of that time. Honestly, I think 6 year old boys top out after 2 games tops but hey, I'm not in charge of the soccer club.

At any rate, with news of the cancellation, we joined Dylan's team, The Lightning, at a local pizza joint Saturday so the coaches could give the boys their trophies. After which I promptly came home and took 4 Motrin, because the acoustics of having 8 six year old boys (plus siblings) in a pizza parlor was oh, I don't know, almost deafening!

And exactly three minutes after this photo was taken, Dylan's trophy fell on the floor and the head broke right off. Super glue saved the day and we ended another soccer season on a high note.

the big C

Two weeks away from Thanksgiving and all I can think of is Christmas already. Got some holiday shopping started already, thinking about teacher gift ideas, cookies and baking projects for the season, gatherings of families and friends, decorating the house and tree.. Thanksgiving gets the shaft, especially when they start playing Christmas music the day after Halloween and make you feel like you’re already behind. But I love Thanksgiving in all of its stuffing-gravy- laden-giving thanks-and-don't-have-to-shop-for-any-gifts goodness.

I love, love, love the holiday season. So many traditions, and getting to relive all of them and creating new ones with our boys is what it’s all about. We usually buy our live tree (ahhh, the smell of Fraser Fur) on Thanksgiving weekend. If you’re going to spend the money and go to all that work to decorate it, it may as well be up as long as possible.

But come January 2nd I’m more than ready to take it all down and get back to our regularly scheduled program. My friend Maryann and I were just talking about this the other day and she uttered this blog-worthy quote of the season.

“Christmas is like an orgasm. All the buildup, all the preparation, all the work, the excitement and then BAM. It’s over. Good night. Stop touching me.”

all the single ladies

...just in case there are any 3 year old ladies out there on the prowl, I present Logan's spec sheet from preschool.

good for the heart and soul

I have a secret. If you ever, truly need to rejuvenate your mind and spirit don't waste your money at a spa. Collect five wonderful girlfriends, pack a suitcase full of un-mom clothes that make you feel hip and head to a swanky, trendy hotel for three days of kid-free, schedule-free bliss.

This past weekend, the ladies I still refer to as my "new mom friends" and I did just that. These ladies I befriended at the new moms support group at the hospital when Dylan was born. We all bonded over becoming first time moms at the same time. Weeks of talking about breastfeeding, colic, and whether or not to return to work brought us close, and led to bonding over playdates, dinner parties and watching our kids grows into toddlers, preschoolers and school agers. We all communicate online every single day and I honestly don't think I would have survived the catapult into mommyhood without the support, humor and camaraderie of this incredibly smart, talented and vivacious group of like-minded moms.

We do an annual girls weekend and we've rented houses and hotel room, locally, to celebrate ourselves and our friendship. Two of my friends in this group have moved from here to Atlanta, so we decided to bring the party down south this year.


We arrived last Friday the 6th which also happened to be my 38th birthday. Checked into the W Hotel in Buckhead and let the good times roll for two nights and three days.

We all had makeovers at the MAC counter Saturday before heading out on the town.

This is more make up than I've worn in the last 15 years combined. It was fun to be glamorous for an evening and learn some tips. My usual routine is some Chapstick and a little mascara, so this was quite an upgrade.

one last time

Last week, Mom and I took the kids to one of our favorite farms for one last spin thru the fall festival before it closed down until next year. We'll see you next September Cox Farms!

Moms Gone Wild 2009

Tomorrow morning, I'll be flying to HOTlanta with three other hip mommy girlfriends. We'll be meeting up with two other hip mommy girlfriends who live there and getting our Relax on at a posh, swanky hotel, while eating bon-bons poolside for our Third Annual Moms Gone Wild weekend getaway. We have a lot of fun things planned and lots of blissful kid-free time for things like girl talk, room cocktails, chick flicks, shopping and reading smut magazines. But here are some things I will NOT be doing while I'm there:

• wiping any little butts
• breaking up fights over the Wii
• picking up any toys
• ordering off the kids menu
• cooking
• laundry
• listening to any whining
• fastening anyone into car seats
• wiping up spilled chocolate milk
• shuttling anyone to soccer
• playing Matchbox cars and monster trucks

Its not that I don't love my life and my job as Domestic Vice President and CFO of Household Affairs. Really, I do. And I will miss the boys (all three of them) and be chomping at the bit Sunday evening to get home and squeeze them tight. But sometimes mommies just need a break to be a girlfriend for a couple of days.

Muhhahahahahaha!

This summer, Dylan had his sights set on being Indiana Jones and never changed his mind once - no doubt this was inspired by playing hours of Wii Lego Indiana Jones. He loved his fake scruffy beard too. Logan had a few costume ideas of his own, and was heavily persuaded to go with something we already had in the dress-up bin. He wore his astronaut costume proudly (although the hat part was a no-go) and now that I think about it, the costume was appropriate since his massive amounts of candy loot will surely send him blasting off to outerspace.

We had a fantastic Halloween night, the best ever, according to Dylan. My neighbor Paige and I took the kids around the neighborhood and Logan was a total professional.

He and Dylan gleefully ran from house to house exclaiming "Happy Halloween!" at the top of their lungs, Logan holding his handmade loot bag by his teeth, deciding that candy is better than presents and therefore Halloween trumps Christmas (I think they'll change their tune on Christmas morning). We had a dramatic moment when Dylan realized he had dropped his whip somewhere along the path but we backtracked and found it, saving the evening.

A few houses along our way went all out, with extensive haunted garages and ghoulish graveyards. I'd love to do this one year. We have a strobe light and a few props we put out every year and it adds so much fun to the night. Monk Andrew bought some dry ice and created a spooky cauldron effect setting up on our front porch to hand out candy, drink his magic potions, and scare the heck out of unsuspecting trick-or-treaters with a giant inflatable spider rigged to a fishing pole, suspended and hidden to pounce upon them as they reached for the candy bowl.

I guess all the excitement gave Dylan a little Halloween gas, because as I'm trying to capture Andrew and his gruesome drink, Dylan accidentally slipped one out while on our neighbor John's lap. Turn up your volume. Classic!

Another neighborhood family hosts an annual pre-trick-or-treat pizza/beer and juice box bash, and this year, with Halloween falling on Saturday, we ventured back over for some post evening bonfire and movie madness. This morning, Logan demonstrated the tongue staining power of high fructose corn syrup.

a spooktacular preschool party

Logan's preschool Halloween party was a few days ago, and I'm totally slacking on the photo download. Its been a busy, busy week here and with trick-or-treat just hours away, its not slowing down anytime soon.

But alas....here are the oh-so-cute photos from Logan's parade and party. We made Spooky Stew, decorated Halloween cookies, played games and did freeze dance to the Monster Mash. It was a ghouly, groovy time.